To Build a Home (With You)
by PrincessMidna90
Summary: Domestic Shaun x Desmond. How they first met, how they bought their first apartment together, what happens when they try to assemble IKEA furniture. and whatever happens after that.
1. When First I Met You

When they saw each other for the first time, it was a late summer night. The day had been unnaturally humid, and the big city had made it much worse. Shaun was back in New York for two weeks to catch up with some friends from his time in college. They had moved there because they'd been offered some jobs after having studied a semester at one of the schools.

Shaun had gone off to Italy for a semester, finding that history much more interesting.

Even though that wasn't his first time in America, he'd never managed to understand why people found the country so appealing. The laws were ridiculous, the people and their view on war and religion and anyone not straight and white and rich even more so.

He loves history, which is why he ended up as a history professor. Shaun loves learning and teaching about the change, which is basically what history is to him. History is about change, about how interesting it is, and how dull it becomes when it stays dormant. It's not only about how much humanity can learn from its mistakes through the ages, but how it also repeats itself, sometimes several times before it understands what needs to be done.

Going to New York hadn't been Shaun's idea, but the product of his colleagues getting in touch with his former college mates and arranging for him to go. They all knew he didn't let work go, even over the summer and wanted him to go do something un-related to his work.

This was how Shaun found himself in a bar in Manhattan, called Bad Weather, chosen by his mates because the name didn't fit the weather of the past few days.

Shaun didn't mind drinking, but he preferred pubs over bars, and was therefore reluctant to go, despite what the other guys said. So they reminded him why he was there in the first place, and practically dragged him along.

It was thankfully not crowded due to the heat, which would have made the whole experience unbearable.

The bar was inside an old brick building, furnished in a way that made it look industrial, but still managed to look comfortable.

Shaun found himself surprised, actually liking the place, finding the atmosphere enjoyable.

As they found a table, he looked around at the place, and noticed that most of the furniture looked to be made from salvaged parts, pieces having been made useful again after having been dumped somewhere. It gave the place a truly unique look.

The stools were of metal and wood, the tables the same and the seating for the tables were of deep, red leather. Uncovered lightbulbs hung from exposed beams running across the high ceiling, providing dimmed light.

The main focus of the place was the long bar, made out of the same material as the stools and tables, the glass and metal shelves behind stocked will all kinds of alcohol and drink mixes.

All around, black and white photographs hang on the walls, most of them classic New York pictures sold all over the world, while others show the history of the building and the people who have worked there.

It hadn't taken long before a waitress showed up and they all ordered beers. She looked rather ordinary, light skin, blonde hair and petite, nothing Shaun cared about. It turned out none of his friends did either, because they told him they all had someone at the moment.

Time went by quickly, as they had much to catch up on. They had only kept in touch by the occasional email throughout the years, and they only covered the most basic.

They talked about the old times, how things had changed, what had stayed the same – like Shaun's obsession with everything to do with history and how he had a hard time not learning new things all the time – and what they were working on.

Shaun had told them there might be an opening for him the next year as a professor in history at Swansea University, though there was no guarantee at that point he'd actually get it.

So they had toasted for him, wishing him the best of luck, because it would be a perfect job for him.

By the time they had stumbled out of the bar, it had been early morning and Shaun hadn't been sure if he'd just imagined one of the male bartenders looking at him with an odd look, or if the man had done it.

It had taken Shaun some time to actually arrive in his hotel room, and by the time he did it was four thirty, so he had collapsed on the bed fully dressed.

And that night had been the first night he'd dreamt of the bartender.

Shaun hadn't returned to the bar until five days later, and by then he'd forgotten all about the bartender.

That time it had only been him, so he'd taken a seat by the bar. The waitress from last time had been there again, but she had been too busy waiting tables to serve Shaun.

And that was how Shaun had first met Desmond.

He remembered clearly how Desmond had cocked his head and looked at Shaun with that strange look again, and Shaun remembered even more clearly how uncomfortable the look from the younger man had made him.

"What?" Shaun had made his tone as sour as possible, but the man had just continued to look at him, and there had been no proof he'd even heard him.

"I feel like I know you," the reply had been, and Shaun had scoffed. He'd known there was no way he'd met this guy before and he'd know if he had, weird as the man had been.

"Look, just give a beer, okay?"

"Shit, yeah, sorry." The bartender had walked off to get one and Shaun had gotten a couple beers for free that night. Even though they hadn't talked anymore, Shaun had noticed the man looking at him in a strange way the rest of the night.

Maybe it was strange, but the encounter hadn't actually stopped Shaun from frequenting the bar, either alone of with some of the old gang, who sometimes had dragged their girlfriends along.

Shaun hadn't actually minded it, but when he was back in his room for the night, he'd sometimes thought about how lonely he'd felt.

And it was mostly on those nights he'd dreamt about the bartender, though he'd never remembered it in the morning.

Shaun learnt the bartender's name when he'd had three nights left in the city.

And that had been something he hadn't recalled until he was on his plane back to London.

He'd gone to the bar and gotten drunk because the loneliness had started to creep up on him. His mates had all been busy, he'd had nothing better to do and he'd refused to wallow in self-pity.

One thing had led to another, and when he'd awoken the ne next morning his head had been hammering. Reaching out when he had tried to get up, his fingers had hit something warm, but before he'd been able to find out what had happened, Shaun had run into the bathroom and puked.

It had dawned on Shaun pretty fast that he wasn't in his hotel room and that he'd felt a stiff soreness he hadn't felt in quite some time, which lead to a quick realisation of what had happened that night.

Shaun had acted quickly, dressed in his shirt, pants and shoes and had left the place in a hurry.

But when he was about to pay for the cab, he had realised rather soon that he'd left his wallet and boxers at the guy's place. Luckily he had just enough money in his pocket to pay the fee.

Stuck in his room, he'd phoned his card-companies and gotten them to block his cards in case the guy decided to use any of them.

He'd spent the rest of the day taking a nap and watching crappy TV. When his friends had asked if he'd come with them to the bar that night, he'd accepted because he needed his wallet back.

If it hadn't been for that, he wouldn't have gone back.

He'd wasted no time arriving at the bar, but had marched right up and demanded to talk to him in private.

Once out of earshot, Shaun had simply held out his hand and told the guy to give him wallet. The bartender had handed it over and waited until Shaun had checked that everything was still there, down to the last cent.

Nodding to him, Shaun had then turned on his heel and walked over to his friends, never feeling the piece being slipped into his back pocket.

He didn't go back to the bar again after that night, and made a deal with himself to forget all about the man.

It had worked perfectly fine until he was back in London, unpacking and sorting his laundry. Because that was when a note fell out of one of his jeans – a note with a phone number and a name, a note telling him they'd meet again in a few weeks.


	2. Job Offer and House Hunting

A phonecall woke Shaun from his dream about meeting Desmond for the first time. In a haze he reached for his phone, moving Desmond's arm away from his stomach in the process.

"Shaun here," he sat up in bed, suddenly alert. "Really? Yes, sir, I can be there on Monday. Ten thirty, at the University? I'll make the arrangements now. Thank you, sir. I'll see you then."

"'s that?" Desmond asked drowsily as Shaun got out of bed.

"It was from Swansea University, they want me to come in for an interview on Monday. Two of the professors will leave the university at the end of the school year and they're looking for new teachers. They didn't tell me which posts, but there have been some rumours going since last summer, just before I left for New York and met you, actually." All this Shaun said while he got dressed.

"I'm going to make arrangements for an overnight stay, so just go back to sleep and I'll wake you when breakfast is done," he added as he went into the bathroom.

Seconds later Shaun was turned around and pressed up against the tiled wall by Desmond. His boyfriend started kissing his neck and jaw line, speaking a word between every kiss.

"What if I came with you? It's a long way to travel back and forth each day. We could look for a new place to live even."

A shiver ran through Shaun, not just because of the kisses, but at the thought of building a proper home with Desmond. They were living together now, but it was Shaun's apartment, Shaun's stuff, and he wanted a place with things they both picked out.

"God, yes," was Shaun managed to say, before he kissed Desmond hotly, all thoughts of booking the trip gone.

He pushed Desmond towards the shower, and the water turned cold before they were done.

An hour later, Shaun had booked a room for them at Leonardo's Guest House, about half an hour walk away from the University and situated just by the beach.

Having finished breakfast, he was now enjoying a cup of tea while Desmond had coffee. They were cuddled up on the couch, trying to find something to watch on the telly, when they stumbled upon a real-estate program.

"Did you mean what you said?" Shaun asked, taking a sip of his tea.

"Mean what?"

"Us two moving, looking for a place in Swansea?"

"Of course I did!" Desmond said, putting down his cup of coffee, turning to look Shaun in the eyes. "I want us to start from scratch in a new apartment, with stuff we buy ourselves. For me, finding a job won't be too hard. I can just start of with some shifts at a pub or bar, or maybe a bar at one of the hotels."

"Does this mean we're going to build a home together?"

"Yeah, it does."

Having finished their cups, Shaun took out his laptops and started looking at some places in and around Swansea, whilst Desmond got ready for work. It hadn't taken the American long to find work after moving to London to be with Shaun, and he'd been lucky enough to find a place rather near their apartment.

Shaun spends the rest of the day preparing for his interview on the upcoming Monday and looking for apartments they could look at that weekend. They didn't need a big one, but several of those he looked at had narrow rooms and looked like they needed to be torn down rather than just redecorated. Well, that might be a bit of an overstatement, but Shaun wanted a place that looked light and open and presentable, so he could have colleagues over and students if they needed to talk to him outside of school.

When he'd started the search, he hadn't edited the search perimeters, and several of the apartments showing up throughout his searches were so expensive it was becoming ridiculous. Like the ones in the tower building at the marina, starting at £510,000.

There is no guarantee he'll actually get the job, Shaun knows that, but he also knows he'll have to believe in himself.

When Desmond comes home that night, Shaun tells him that he's bookmarked some of the apartments and says they can look at them later.

But Desmond looks at them while Shaun makes dinner, and he looks at some of the ones Shaun have looked at but not marked. They haven't been together for long, but Desmond still knows what Shaun likes and what he's looking for in a place. And he knows Shaun finds several of the places too expensive, but then again Shaun doesn't know about Desmond and Bad Weather.

Desmond stays quiet during dinner, silently laying a plan for how they can buy the three bedroom penthouse apartment. He could see from the browser history that Shaun had visited that particular apartment several times, so clearly it's the one he wants the most. The asking price is £310,000, but it's not a problem for Desmond.

When Shaun asks why he's quiet, he blames it on a busy day at work, claiming it was stressful because of an incident with a particularly annoying costumer.

They watch a movie on the telly before going to bed. It's not a remarkable one, rather tiring in fact, and Shaun falls asleep during it.

So Desmond turns off the TV and carries Shaun into their bedroom, undresses them both and curls up with his historian.

The next day Desmond starts the first phase of his plan while Shaun's at work.

He's got offers coming in more and more frequently after he put his bar out for sale, but he's enjoyed the extra income from it so far.

But he's decided to sell it now, if he's gotten the right bids. Having invested so much in the place, he's been reluctant to let it go, especially since it holds such a special place in his heart, in both their hearts in fact.

Desmond tells himself it's better this way, and it's not like he's going back there anyways. He just needs to make sure it stays in good hands, because he'll hate himself if the place changes for the worse. He also worries about his employees, Lucy in particular, because she's been his best friend for so long, and she was the first he talked about with Shaun. If she were to lose her job because of him, he'd really hate himself.

So he emails Lucy, asking her to tell him if she knows something about the potential buyers that will make him consider them for the new owners or if they should stay as far away from his place as possible.

Knowing he won't get an answer anytime soon, Desmond contacts the company in charge of selling the apartment in the old brick house, making an appointment for a viewing the upcoming Friday, so they can come back to look at it again during the weekend if they want to.

Desmond also makes appointments for a couple other places – he'll tell Shaun about those at least – just so they can have something to compare. He plans on asking Shaun when he comes home if he should make any more appointments.

When Shaun comes home, they agree on making appointments for two other places, more within their price range, but not as close to the university as the first ones.

Shaun relaxes on the couch while Desmond makes the dinner – they have an arrangement for that.

During dinner they discuss the places they're going to look at when they get there and what they'll look for. Desmond agrees on wanting airy, open rooms with light walls and preferably wooden floors.

The view isn't the most important, but they don't want to look through the windows of their homes into the one beside them; they've had enough of that with the flat they're in now and Desmond had the same view in New York.

They clean up together after dinner and sit down with a bottle of beer each, making a list over things they want and thing they absolutely do not want.

Shaun adds a price range, and Desmond keeps his mouth shut, not wanting to spoil his surprise.

That Thursday evening, Desmond gets a reply from Lucy, telling him she's found the perfect buyer. He's come to the bar frequently lately, scouting the place and finding out how the workers treat their costumers and how well they do their work.

The man likes what he sees, and made an offer to Lucy, which she told Desmond about.

While Shaun makes dinner, Desmond reads the proposal from the man, which includes the promise of keeping all the employees. It turns out the buyer had asked the costumers what they thought of the place, how often they came back, and whether or not they've had a problem with any of the staff.

Every feedback had been positive.

It was the best offer Desmond had received thus far, and the fact that the buyer promised to let the staff continue to work there made it all the more promising.

The only thing left to do now was to sing the contract and close the deal.

When Desmond woke up the next morning, the deposit had been made, so he signed the papers and posted them in the mail while Shaun spent a couple hours at his job before they left for the weekend.

Deal made, Desmond looked through their stuff to make sure they had packed the most essential things for the weekend, as well as the tickets, then packed his computer and charger and made lunch.

The lunch was finished as Shaun walked through the door and after eating they went through the apartment to check that everything was okay, that the doors and windows were closed and that the gas was turned off.

Finding everything as it should be, they grabbed their luggage and left for the train station.

The trip took three hours, but it went fast as Shaun was preparing for Monday and triple checking their booking at the guesthouse. Desmond spent his time reading a book he'd picked at random from a bookstore earlier that week, picked especially for this trip.

They didn't encounter any problems and soon they were checked in.

It wasn't until then that Desmond told Shaun about the appointed viewing at the penthouse apartment.

"Desmond, you know we can't actually afford it, right? There's no guarantee I'll even get the job."

But Desmond just ignored his boyfriend's protests.

"Shaun, there's no harm in looking at the place. We don't have to buy it just because we're looking at the place, you know that right? Besides, we have several other places to look at during our stay."

Shaun just nods in reply, not willing to reply that he was afraid he'd like the place too much and feel like he'd have to settle for something less because they don't have the funds, instead of just looking at places they could actually afford.

But they look at it anyways, of course, and it looks even better than Shaun had imagined. It's perfect, with storage space, large rooms, great view, and they can even see the University and the sea.

He doesn't say anything about how much he wants it, but Desmond can see it on him anyways.

They go out to eat, and Desmond doesn't pressure Shaun into saying anything, because now's not the right time.

All of Saturday is spent looking at the other five places the made appointments for, but none of them comes close to the penthouse.

Shaun spends all the day pretending the penthouse doesn't exist, tries to see the flats for what they are, not for what they aren't.

On Sunday they go sightseeing and hang out at the fair on the pier.

As darkness falls, they walk hand in hand to the pub called Pub on the Pond, located just by the university.

It's an old stone building, typically British, as is the interior.

Because it's a Sunday, it's quite full, but they manage to get a couple of chairs outside on the patio overlooking the pond. They order a beer each and simply sit there for a while, listening to the sounds of the nightlife.

"Shaun, I have a confession to make," Desmond says, suddenly finding himself nervous. The Brit doesn't say anything, just furrows his brows.

"We can afford the penthouse. That bar we met in is... was my bar. I sold it on Friday, because I knew you'd want the place, and I knew you though we couldn't afford it. I know I should have told you sooner, but I wanted us, you, to actually see the place first. And I know now that I was right selling Bad Weather, 'cause I could feel how right the place was when we walked in."

Shaun sits still for so long that Desmond gets worried.

"I need to think about this," Shaun replies. "We should head back," he adds some minutes later, when he's finished his beer. "I need to get up early tomorrow."

Shaun is surprisingly calm during the interview, even though he had problems falling asleep the night before.

He answers every question truthfully and the school board seems pleased.

After the interview he's guided around the campus and meets some of the people he'll be working with if he gets the job. Shaun even gets to have lunch with them and gets to know a bit from several employees about what it's like to work there and what it's like to have students from abroad.

Even though Shaun tries not to, he starts to envision himself working there, sometimes going to the pub after work, the one he'd been to the night before with Desmond.

And that's another thing he tries not to think about – how Desmond revealed that Bad Weather was his, and that he sold it for Shaun's sake, so they could afford the penthouse after all.

Shaun's always been self sufficient, making his own money, not wanting to rely on others, so he doesn't know how to deal with it. He doesn't know if Desmond wants the apartment as much as he does, and doesn't want Desmond to feel pressured into buying it because of that.

It all makes it feel like it's his fault that Desmond sold his bar, even though he didn't know it until after it was done.

When lunch is over, Shaun thanks the board and they tell him he'll know if he gets the job or not within a fortnight, as he was the last person they interviewed.

Back at the guesthouse Shaun finds Desmond on the bed, reading a guidebook of Swansea, having picked it up in the lobby after breakfast.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday," Shaun said, sitting down on the bed, proceeding to tell Desmond about why he'd acted the way he had.

Desmond didn't say anything while he spoke, and just kissed him when he was done.

"Since we're here for another day and the weather's great, why don't we check out a couple of the places in this book? Then we can have dinner, and – if you want to – discuss the apartment. If not, you can tell me about your interview."

Shaun smiled.

"Okay, just let me get changed first, and then we'll go."

Instead of finding a place each, they agreed on going to Penllergare Valley Woods, a historic site on the outskirts of the town.

Starting by the Observatory, they took the Terrace Garden Walk, and, finding that a bit short, took the Coed Nydfwch Walk as well.

They walk slowly, hand in hand throughout the woodland, not feeling the need to speak, just enjoying each other's company and the peace and quiet of rustling trees, chirping birds and running water. Desmond's the first to speak, telling Shaun he'd really like it if they could move to Swansea so they could walk in these woods again.

Shaun just smiles at him.

Hailing a cab, they head back to the guesthouse to change and wash up before dinner, deciding on Istanbul Restaurant after a recommendation from some other guests.

The restaurant is very cosy with lots of people, but still not full.

They order a glass of wine each, and study the menus before Shaun decides on Kiremit Tava and Desmond orders Iskender.

Both meals are delicious and they share them with each other, savouring the fresh flavours.

Shaun tells Desmond about the interview during the meal, he even tells him how he could see himself working there, and how much getting the job would mean to him. Scoffing, Shaun even admits to fearing he'll jinx it by saying it out loud.

Desmond takes his hand across the table and squeezes it reassuringly.

"It's gonna be okay, just wait."

For desert they order a piece of baklava each, and they're full by the time they've finished eating.

Desmond takes care of the bill, and when his boyfriend complains, says it's only right after he withheld the information about his bar from Shaun.

They stop by the beach on their way back to the guesthouse.

Shaun sits down on the grass on the sandbanks, patting the ground beside him. Desmond lies down beside him, pulling Shaun down with him.

Resting his head on Desmond's chest, Shaun starts talking.

He talks about how he wants the apartment, and how he fears Desmond doesn't want it, but only accepts it because of him.

His boyfriend kisses his head, so Shaun looks up at him, looks into his eyes.

"I want the apartment as much as you, babe. It sounds strange, I know, but as soon as I walked into the place, I felt how right it would be for us. Maybe it's a bit on the big side, but it only means we won't have to move if we ever want something more. You get your office, we'll have a bedroom if anyone comes to visit, and the first floor is open and spacey. The storage space is perfect, the much safer than one on ground level, the view is excellent, not far from campus and the town centre."

"And the light walls, large windows and hardwood flooring?" Shaun adds, a bit teasing.

"Perfect. Just like you."

Shaun can't ever remember loving Desmond more than he does in this exact moment. Desmond's eyes hold so much love, the stars reflected in them. Shaun briefly thinks that if he'd been a teenage girl he might just have died. Not that he'll ever admit to that though; he'll never live it down.

Shaun gets up, looks down at Desmond, and then runs towards the guesthouse, shouting "Race you back!" laughing all the while.

Desmond quickly catches up to him, but they race back nonetheless.

When they make love that night neither can remember being happier than in that moment.

Eleven days after their return, Shaun gets a phone call at work. He recognises the number from the University, answering the phone with butterflies in the stomach.

Shaun rushes through the door to their apartment and only then remembers Desmond's at work, so he rushes back out, running the whole way to the bar.

When he arrives he's out of breath and sweaty. Desmond looks up as he storms through the door, and they stand there, staring at each other for what seems forever, until Shaun smiles and Desmond just knows.

They meet halfway, clashing together, holding on to each other, and everything around them is forgotten.

That night they put in an offer at the penthouse.

Four days later they're back in Swansea, signing the contract.


	3. IKEA

The morning of the 2nd of July brought with it a promise of a clear sky and warm weather.

Shaun and Desmond got out of bed and put on some clothes that wouldn't make them too hot during the day, before going downstairs to have a light breakfast, seeing as they didn't have much food due to the lack of a refrigerator.

Just the prospect of going through all of IKEA after the stuff they needed made the meagre breakfast and lack of coffee didn't bode well for the outcome of the day.

They had ordered a dishwasher, stove and refrigerator, but it wouldn't arrive until the next day, which was why they were going to IKEA today. The counters, cabinets and sink had already been fitted, just as the bathrooms had been furnished with plumbing and cabinets.

Today, they were going to buy everything else, from furniture to candles.

It took them about an hour to arrive at IKEA in Cardiff, which was the closest one, and even though they were there just as the store was opening, there were still a lot of people there already.

Shaun had a notebook with him, to write down all they were going to buy, where they were located in the warehouse and things like that.

He'd also made a long list for things they were looking for, sorted by section and importance.

The two of them had looked online the day before, spending a long time deciding what to get, so they'd have to spend the least amount possible in the actual store.

Starting with the livingroom part, they tried several sofas and chairs, settling on one three-seater and one two-seater in brown fabric. Not finding a chair, they decide to look for one later.

Instead they find two tables made of black-brown wood and steel, and a TV-table with shelves, made of glass, steel and wood.

Not finding anything more they need for the moment, Shaun writes down the information on the furniture, and they move on to diningroom furniture.

When they had looked online the day before, they had decided on a set of black-brown table and eight chairs with white cushions. It also provided them with a theme colour, as it's the same they've decided on for all their wooden furniture.

In addition to the table and chairs, they buy a side-table, where they'll keep dinner plates and it gives them a place to put the serving dishes when they have guests over.

The kitchen part is easy, they just pass through it.

Finding a bed in the right size proved not to be as easy as they had hoped. They already have the mattress, which is what makes it a small issue, but they find one they both like in the end. Deciding on bedside tables is their next problem, but they agree in the end on the ones two drawers that are in the same series as the bed.

Same goes for the dresser, same series, and it turns out it even comes with a mirror.

The wardrobe is the easiest, because they have already decided, so all that's left is to write it down.

And because they're buying two wardrobes, they don't need any mirrors, because they come with a mirror sliding door each.

Desmond manages to drag Shaun down on one of the mattresses, his excuse being that they need one for the spare bedroom. A bit embarrassed about the sound he makes as he falls over, Shaun is even more embarrassed when Desmond kisses him, because it's so public and he doesn't want to cause a scene.

He's worried that they'll get reprimanded for behaving like that, worried that someone will call them something bad, worried about Desmond will do if it happens.

But they don't hear anything, so Shaun just enjoys the kiss, before getting up.

Shaun hadn't been sure about looking for things for the extra bedroom yet, but Desmond somehow manages to talk him into it.

Because they weren't sure about that room until now, they haven't thought about what exactly it is they need, so they spend quite a lot of time trying to figure it out.

After a lot to and fro, they buy a double bed, bedside tables, wardrobe, dresser, and they even go back to the living-room part to pick out a chair. They choose dark brown for the furniture and a dark grey chair. They also decide on the same chair for their own bedroom and one for the study.

They have two stops left now, before they can sit down and drink some coffee at the café.

Mirrors for the bathrooms are quickly found, as well as one for the guestroom. The number for a bathroom bench is the last thing they write down before the last stop.

For the furniture for his study, Shaun has decided on a series of furniture that has a desk with additions as well as a worktable for a printer, allowing for more space for his papers when he's to grade them, allowing for it all to be close at hand.

There are no bookshelves in the series, but since they decided for black-brown on this furniture to, they quickly find shelves in the same colour.

It takes Shaun some tries to find a comfortable chair, which he needs because he will end up spending quite a long time sitting in it.

When they walk through the children's part, Shaun could swear he can see longing in Desmond's eyes, but he knows this isn't the right time or place to take up that subject.

Drinking coffee and eating cake is a welcomed break, because they have only picked put the basic furniture so far, and when they go downstairs all the decorations and extra stuff are waiting for them, not to forget ordering everything and then paying for it all.

Shaun is worried about the final price, but he knows they are choosing cheaper, but still good items by shopping here instead of other places, so he doesn't voice his concern.

Desmond knows him too well though, so he understands why Shaun is quiet during their break.

Before moving on to the second part of their endeavour Shaun takes out his list so they can go through it and make sure they have everything they need from that floor, as neither of them wants to go back up, much less return to the store again because they forgot something.

It turns out they got all they need according to their list, so they walk down the stairs, takes a cart each, and begins the trek with a deep breath.

Kitchen and dining things goes into one cart, while the other one is quickly filling with textiles, like pillow-covers for the living-room, bed sheets and towels.

Bathroom accessories go in with the kitchen things, as does the storage items and lamps and lights, and the carts are already getting filled up, before they reach the rugs and decorations.

Shaun's always thought he's got an eye for interior decorating – and therefore thought he'd have to do most of this by himself – but everything is easier now that he knows Desmond's got too, and he's feeling rather relieved when Desmond helps to pick out fabrics and decorations that goes with the furniture and the apartment.

When they get to the wall decorations, Desmond manages to sneak in a picture which he'll give to Shaun as a moving-in gift. He hides it between other things in the cart he's in charge of, because he doesn't want him to see it until they're ready to hang up the decorations.

They notice another problem when they arrive in the self-serve area, as several items of furniture are there, and they're not really sure as to how they'll get it to the register.

Considering it for a while, they decide that Shaun will stay with the carts, and Desmond finds an employee to help him gather the wares from the shelves.

With help, it doesn't take long before they've got what they can from the place, and they can finally pay for what they've got so far.

Shaun pays for the things in his cart, Desmond for his own, and they split the rest between them, as well as the furniture they'll get from the warehouse and have delivered to their apartment.

When they arrive back at their apartment, it takes them several trips to get all their things upstairs, and by the time the things have been placed in the rooms they'll go in, they're both sweaty and want nothing more than to sleep, shower be damned.

But since there will be deliveries throughout the day, they can't, so Shaun makes them iced tea and they just relax for a bit, until he gets a call saying the first delivery will be there in a few minutes.

And so the really hectic part start, with Desmond helping to carry the furniture while Shaun instructs them on where to leave the various things, be it on the main floor or upstairs.

It takes quite some time, but at last everything's inside. Shaun even checked the list before he let the last truck leave, but all was as it should be.

Knowing there's no chance they'll be able to put together more than a few pieces today, they start with the bed, laying out all the pieces where they'll go, making sure everything they need came with it before starting the assembling.

It's an easy one, thankfully, as is the rest of the furniture for the bedroom, though they decide to wait with the wardrobe until later, heading downstairs to assemble the sofas and diningroom furniture first.

Time has passed quickly all day, and they suddenly find it's starting to get dark outside, which is when they start to feel hungry, having forgotten to eat anything since the cakes at IKEA hours ago.

So they order a pizza, not feeling like going out, and eat it by their new table, not wanting to risk spilling on the sofas already.

When they've eaten, Desmond suggests they assemble the wardrobe, so that they can finish that room at least.

They're exhausted, and both to be blamed, but Shaun still starts yelling at Desmond when they make a mistake that almost causes one of the mirror doors to break. He claims it's Desmond's fault, that he wasn't paying attention, that he was supposed to hold it still and that it's his bloody fault for suggesting they put it together today.

So Desmond retaliates, shouts back that Shaun never said anything about that, and that he's not going to let Shaun put all the blame on him.

"Get out!" Shaun says, venom coating his voice as he points at the door leading out to the hall.

Too tired to deal with Shaun in this mood, Desmond walks downstairs, grabs his keys and leaves the apartment.

Twenty minutes later, Shaun is still fuming, so he goes into the study to look for a picture that was supposed to be in their bedroom.

He needs to do something, and he's not going downstairs, because he thinks Desmond's there, not having heard him leave.

That's when Shaun finds the picture Desmond picked out, the one he didn't know about.

There's a note on it from Desmond, saying '_I can't wait to build a home with you._'

Shaun's anger disappears, leaving him feeling guilty, because he knows it's not Desmond's fault, but both of theirs.

"Desmond!" He waits, but there's no reply, so he goes downstairs, only to find Desmond's not there.

He tries to phone him, but when he hears it ring, Shaun finds out Desmond left without his phone.

So Shaun does the only sensible thing; he runs outside and follows the road down to the sea, thinking maybe Desmond's gone to the pub for a drink.

He was partially right, for he found Desmond walking up the hill, on his way back to the apartment.

"Bloody hell, Desmond, where were you?!"

"Jaysus, Shaun, calm down! I went to the pub to apply for a job; I just wanted it to be a surprise!"

"Like the typewriter picture?"

Desmond huffs out a breath and ducks his head, shaking it.

"Let's go home."

"By the way, why did you say 'Jaysus'?" Shaun asks, wondering why Desmond pronounced it differently this time.

"Didn't I tell you? I've an ancestor who came from here. His name was Edward, and he was a pirate. Friends with Mary Read, Anne Bonny, and Blackbeard and those guys, and Anne were his quartermaster for a time. Got rich and came to England, his son sailed to the US and had a son with a native woman of the Mohawk tribe.

I'll tell you more about them later. Now I just wanna sleep."

"So we're okay?"

Desmond doesn't answer, just takes Shaun's hand in his and kisses it.


End file.
